Does the bike you ride make the difference...

[ray316]

l ride a vitesse sprint 21 speed and the frame is alloy tube with the wheels/tyres wider than alot of more expensive bikes... On this bike l average a speed of 15mph.
My question for the forum is.... Does what bike you ride make a difference or is it the rider.
If l bought a more expensive bike with a lighter frame and thin wheels/tyres would l see the difference in my speeds with the same effort l putting in at the moment, and if so how much difference in speed/ performance do you think it would make..

 

[mark barker]

I noticed a difference when I swapped from a slicked MTB to a flat bar road bike, my average has increased by around 4mph.

Edit: I should mention that the increase in speed is on decent roads. When I'm on cycle routes I'd guess my average would drop as it gets too uncomfortable to ride at any speed!

 

[HLaB]

l ride a vitesse sprint 21 speed and the frame is alloy tube with the wheels/tyres wider than alot of more expensive bikes... On this bike l average a speed of 15mph.
My question for the forum is.... Does what bike you ride make a difference or is it the rider.
If l bought a more expensive bike with a lighter frame and thin wheels/tyres would l see the difference in my speeds with the same effort l putting in at the moment, and if so how much difference in speed/ performance do you think it would make..

It does to a degree, the style of bike matters more IMO. On my 21 sp heavy hybrid (37mm tyres), I currently comfortably average around 13.5mph and with a lot of hard work I can get my average up to around 15mph. Before its conversion my much lighter (28mm tyres would average comfortably 14.5-15.0mph) and again if I really worked I'd get it up by mph or two (given relatively the same hilliness). I converted that to drops and added lighter wheels and narrower tyres (25mm); at that point, it'd comfortably average 15mph+, or more if I worked. I now have two other lighter road bikes (23mm), albeit I'm fitter but they would tend to comfortably average a minimum of 16-16.5mph and again with work will average more. The big difference I find on a lighter bike is endurance and I can average those speeds for much longer distances.

 

[avsd]

Yes the ike can make a difference. Biggest impact on the equipment is the quality of the wheels and the tyres.

Bang for buck - it is personal fitness and losing some weight. Losing 7Lb of body weight makes a massive difference on the hills

I find moving from my winter commute to the summer Cannondale (Carbon/Ultegra gears and good wheels) adds about only 1- 2 mph to my average but the feel good factor is . I like a nice bike. Some of that is the good weather we have being enjoying sunshine and very low winds.

 

[steve52]

what is it with averge speeds so many say i average 15+ i often hit 22/25 mph on the flat and faster down hill but when i check the computer for my average it says things like 13.8
how fast will i have to go to get a 15 mph average?.ps average includes any stops if u stop

 

[vickster]

You'll have to go at 15mph on average to get a 15mph average - what does your question mean? Go and cycle 15 miles and see how long it takes? I expect the types of roads you ride on will make a huge difference if you are including stops. Do you reset the computer every time you go out?

Way too many traffic lights and junctions around here for me to ride at 15mph including stops! Oh and I'm slow on the hillier bits I am sure I could do 15mph average if my route was totally flat and devoid of hazards and lights! My computer says around 12 usually and that includes 20-25mph downhill bits but they are shorter than the 8-9mph uphill bits! During the school holidays my commute is quicker, less traffic to wait for and less queues to sit in even though I am surely pedalling at the same rate when moving

 

[gbb]

I found a new bike didnt give me appreciably more speed than i already had.
I used to run an 8 speed raleigh with a heavy steel frame...IRO 15 to 16 mph average, whatever distance i do, 20, 20, 50 miles
Upgraded to a 9 speed bianchi, lovely and light, but my circuit times barely changed.
Now on a 10 speed Bianchi, still the same.

What you do get a a huge grin riding a newer bike, lighter and more responsive. I'm sure there is a speed gain, but it wasnt outright noticeable for me.

 

[Holdsworth]

I have to say that swapping bikes made a big difference to my average and maximum speed. Not that surprising in that I went from a 2 year old bso (with dodgy brakes, massive knobbly tyres and right hand crank that falls off after a while!!!) to a light-er 531 road bike, 20 years old but still a huge improvement.

It used to take me 30 minutes or thereabouts to do my old 5 mile commute, getting on the road bike it tumbled to 20 minutes the first time out!!!

It is also more responsive and the handling is miles better.

 

[515mm]

Yes.

I have 2 road bikes, one is a winter trainer with guards, lights and 25mm tyres the other is the 'dry weather' bike - 23mm tyres, aero wheels much lighter and stiffer frame etc.

I'll let you decide which one is, on average, five minutes faster over my 14 mile each way commute............

 

[Adasta]

I currently ride a 14kg Giant hybrid and my mean speed is 18-20km (on London's roads). I'm convinced that if I were to get a road bike at around 9kg I could easily be a few km quicker. It doesn't matter all that much, though.

 

[Banjo]

I think its more about your enjoyment of the bike than out and out performance statistics.

A lighter bike with better quality wheels and tyres will be a joy to ride but still only as good as the engine turning the pedals.

 

[Smokin Joe]

It depends on the degree you upgrade and what you want to get from it. For a leisure cyclist to spend £500 on fitting better equipment to gain 1/2mph on the average speed doesn't make much sense, to a racing cyclist that would be cheap at twice the price.

 

[515mm]

And I'm no racer!

But I am lucky enough to have a nice bike and I realise what a precious thing it is and so I look after it as best I can.

I couldn't afford to buy it again if something horrid happened to it.

It took me the thick end of 3 years to get it built.

But I do ride it every opportunity I get - when the weather is dry!

 

[Moodyman]

It depends on the degree you upgrade and what you want to get from it. For a leisure cyclist to spend £500 on fitting better equipment to gain 1/2mph on the average speed doesn't make much sense, to a racing cyclist that would be cheap at twice the price.

True. It depends on your level of ability.

 

[snailracer]

Bear in mind that the skinny tyres, lightweight saddle and aero position that help make a road bike faster also make it less comfortable.